Many people are pointing out differences between eras, line mates, etc, all of which is interesting for discussion. The question, though, is which pair would you take. For me that's #19 and #91 all day every day. No knock on the "kids," but I'd be hard pressed to find many duos I'd take above them on any roster, let alone the Wings.

Here is an interesting question......of the 3 remaining, which get their jersey's retired?

I'm guessing D and Z both do, while Fedorov does not.

As great as Fedorov was as a player the way he left burned that scenario.

Pasha and Z may have a borderline chance at best, because the bar is unbelievable high in Detroit. I think both will be honored in some way or form - maybe a ring of honor like Calgary has it - but numbers retired ? I don't think so

<< neither of the three

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None. Z and dat are not in the same catagory of Howe lids and yzerman.

I don't disagree that D & Z are not in that category, but I dont think to have your jersey retired you have to be at the level of Howe, Yzerman, or Lidstrom. Your talking about 3 guys that are 3 of the best players of all time.

Are they at the level, or close the level of Abel, Lindsay, or Delvecchio? This is the better question.

I don't disagree that D & Z are not in that category, but I dont think to have your jersey retired you have to be at the level of Howe, Yzerman, or Lidstrom. Your talking about 3 guys that are 3 of the best players of all time.

Are they at the level, or close the level of Abel, Lindsay, or Delvecchio? This is the better question.

Personally, I reckon part of it will depend on the next 3 years. If the Wings can get another cup with Dats and Z leading the way, then it'll definitely boost their chances no doubt.

I think one level of criteria that is very important when it comes to this, is if the player in question can lead their team to a cup. They did it in '08 and almost '09, but one could argue that the Wings were led by #5, not D & Z (though with Z winning the Conn Smythe that is a hard sell). If they can win another cup, then I think its a lock. If they don't, my guess is still yes due to them being the faces/best players of a certain era.

I don't get it really when people are saying that Red Wings should not retire 13 and 40. Zetterberg and Datsyuk defined at least a decade for the Red Wings (2004-2014 and counting most likely till 2017-2018). During this timespan they were considered as one of the best if not the best for their positions, they got us 1 cup and two appearances and most likely spend their whole careers as Red Wings. What else you could ask for?

If this is not enough, then I think Red Wings should reconsider their standard for retiring.

Sweet. This dude was brought here for one reason, to punch people in the head - every other thing that he can do, other Wings can do better. I like that we have a head-puncher. The league has other, better head-punchers, but this one is ours. Better than nothing. Good work, Kenny!

I don't get it really when people are saying that Red Wings should not retire 13 and 40. Zetterberg and Datsyuk defined at least a decade for the Red Wings (2004-2014 and counting most likely till 2017-2018). During this timespan they were considered as one of the best if not the best for their positions, they got us 1 cup and two appearances and most likely spend their whole careers as Red Wings. What else you could ask for?

If this is not enough, then I think Red Wings should reconsider their standard for retiring.

They will be honored in some way - I'm very sure of that - but the bar for the Red Wings is incredible high (some may argue too high). Nothing against both of them but all 7 retired numbers have been even more than outstanding.

The Offseason of truth ...

Welcome to hockeytown Jonas aka Lundquist 2 Gustavsson!

blank cheque for The Captain or Jim Star Nil please..

<< Win it for Mr. Hockey ! f*** this league THANK YOU BABS FOR 10 MARVELLOUS YEARS

They will be honored in some way - I'm very sure of that - but the bar for the Red Wings is incredible high (some may argue too high). Nothing against both of them but all 7 retired numbers have been even more than outstanding.

Yzerman, Howe....sure no question. What makes Frank Mahovlich's accomplishments on the Wings so much greater? (nothing against FM)

He played on the Wings 4 seasons, with his best season being 78 points in 76 games. No awards, no cups.

Here is an interesting question......of the 3 remaining, which get their jersey's retired?

I'm guessing D and Z both do, while Fedorov does not.

Given some quotes I've seen from the front office over the years, the first question that will need to be answered is which of those 3 will make the HoF which is the first step in getting their number retired. "But, but, but Stevie & Lids got their numbers retired before HoF induction", I hear you say. Yeah, but there was no denying that those two would be in the HoF before they even hung up their skates. Personal HoF opinion is Feds might not be a 1st ballot HoFer but he should be, Dats might have to wait a year or two but he'll get in, & Z has at best an outside chance if he stays healthy. So out of those 3, Pavel has the best chance of having his jersey in the rafters in the near future with Sergei maybe getting a shot with a little forgiveness & time, like in another decade plus as nostalgia begins to outweigh the bad vibes that a large part of the fan base still have in regards to Sergei.

As to the question posed by the OP though, Stevie & Sergei in a no-brainer.

Instead of posting this as a new thread, I'll throw out a similar question to everyone here. The Wings are in a tough battle for a Stanley Cup. It's game 7 and right before the game, Doc Brown pulls up in his DeLorean, tells you the fate of the world hinges on the Wings winning & offers you the opportunity to pluck one former Wing in his prime from the time stream to guarantee a victory. Who do you pick & why? My choice is a close one, but I would take the quiet, consistent perfection of Lidstrom over the more manic variety of Hasek. So who you got?

While we're talking about old players I thought I'd share what I saw on reddit today that I had not previously known. Draper scored goals in the AHL and NHL BEFORE scoring a goal in the CHL. Strange and interesting.

Z and Dats are my 2 current favorite players, but Yzerman, Lidstrom, Probert and Fedorov were my favorite growing up. There is no one else in the history of the NHL that I would rather have on my team than Steve Yzerman. Guy had the compete level and heart of a lion and skills to back it up. When he refined his 2-way game on top of all that, he became what I believe to be the best all around player the NHL has seen. Not just pure offence or defence, Yzerman was the complete package. Fedorov was pretty close but there's a reason Yzerman is "The Captain".